Mango sticky rice

Before you start

• soak the rice at least 4 hours ahead — overnight is better
• a steamer basket lined with muslin or a clean cloth
• mangoes that are properly ripe, which usually means buying them two days early

Ingredients

Serves 2 · dimmer marks are storecupboard

• 120gglutinous rice — Thai sticky rice — no other rice does this
• 280mlcoconut milk — full fat, and do not shake the tin
• 2mangoes
• 3 tbspsugar
• 1 tbspsesame seeds
• 1 tbspsplit mung beans — toasted, for the crunch on top
• to tastesalt

Method

7 steps

1. soak · 4 hours walk away

   Rice under plenty of cold water, four hours at least and overnight if you can. Under-soaked it steams to a chalky centre that no extra time fixes.

2. steam · 30m walk away

   Drained and spread in a lined basket over boiling water, lid on, until every grain is translucent and chewy right through. Turn it over once halfway.

3. simmer · 6m

   Two thirds of the coconut milk warmed gently with the sugar and a good pinch of salt until the sugar has gone. It must not boil — boiled, it splits and goes grainy.

4. fold · 4m

   Hot rice tipped into a bowl and the warm coconut milk poured straight over it, folded through once and no more.

5. rest · 20m walk away

   Covered with a cloth and left completely alone. It looks far too wet at the start and is exactly right by the end.

6. grill · 5m

   Sesame seeds and mung beans toasted in a dry pan until they colour and smell nutty.

7. finish · 6m

   Mangoes peeled and the cheeks cut off either side of the stone, then sliced. Rice pressed into a mound beside them, the last of the coconut milk loosened with a pinch of salt and spooned over, sesame and mung beans on top. Warm rice, cold mango.